The game of golf is an outdoor game played on a large grassy course with a series of nine or eighteen holes spaced far apart, the object being to drive a small hard ball, using special clubs, into each hole with as few strokes as possible. In minimizing the number of strokes required to circumscribe the course, proper positioning of the player's feet is paramount. If the player's feet are improperly positioned with respect to the ball during his swing, poor shots frequently result.
The positioning of a player's feet with respect to a golf ball is known as a "stance". Just as people vary in size and shape, a proper golf stance will vary from one individual to another. Additionally, proper stance will vary from shot to shot depending on where the ball is to be driven. For example, the proper stance for a player hitting a long drive down a wide fareway will be substantially different from that of the same player hitting a chip shot of a few yards.
Many novice players will show their unfamiliarity with the game by changing their stance several times before swinging the club and consuming much time in the process. Unfortunately, the proper stance for a given shot is usually determined individually through years of practice and experience. Furthermore, the game of golf cannot be perfected when each shot with the same club is made from a different position relative to the ball as is frequently done by novices. Only by repetition of stance and swing can the player develop consistency in his game and reduce time between shots.
Over the years, devices have been developed to indicate the proper positioning of a golf ball relative to a player's feet, providing novices with additional guidance while on the golf course. Several types of devices are known in the art, but most are complex in construction and cumbersome to use; therefore, only limited benefits are offered to those who could best utilize them.